Install on a Mac

There is one Mac kit for Intel Macs and one for Apple silicon Macs. Both work the same way. This takes about five minutes.

Before you start

• A Mac running macOS 13 Ventura or later.
• The kit that matches your Mac. To check, click the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. Chip: Apple M1 (or M2, M3, M4) is Apple silicon. Processor: Intel is Intel. Get the kit from Download.
• Your label printer installed on the Mac and able to print from another program. A DYMO LabelWriter needs DYMO’s own Mac driver, which comes with the free DYMO Connect for Desktop from dymo.com. A Brother QL needs Brother’s Mac driver.

Unzip the kit

1. Open the Finder and go to your Downloads folder.

2. Double-click the zip. The Mac unpacks it next to itself into a folder with the same name, without the .zip.

3. Open that folder, then open the kit folder inside it, called Label Station 1.2.0 test (Mac Intel) or Label Station 1.2.0 test (Mac Apple silicon). You see the .dmg installer, the extension folder and the install guide.

Caution

Keep this folder. Chrome reads the extension from it every time it starts. If you want it somewhere tidier than Downloads, move the whole kit folder to Documents now, before you add the extension.

Install the app

1. Double-click the .dmg file. A window opens with the Label Station icon and a shortcut to your Applications folder.

2. Drag the Label Station icon onto the Applications shortcut and let go.

3. Eject the installer disk: click the small eject arrow next to it in the Finder sidebar, or drag it to the Trash.

4. Open Label Station from your Applications folder or from Launchpad. The first time, macOS blocks it. Go to the next section.

Get past the first-open notice

The build is not signed with Apple yet, so macOS cannot check who made it. That does not mean the file is unsafe. It happens once. The box you see depends on your macOS version.

macOS 15 Sequoia or later

1. The box says “Label Station” Not Opened and that Apple could not verify it. Click Done. Do not click Move to Trash.

2. Click the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the list on the left.

3. Scroll down to the Security section. A line says “Label Station” was blocked to protect your Mac, with an Open Anyway button beside it. Click Open Anyway.

4. Enter your Mac password, or use Touch ID.

5. A last box appears. Click Open Anyway in it. Label Station starts.

On macOS 15, control-clicking the app and choosing Open no longer gets past this box. Use System Settings as above.

macOS 13 Ventura or 14 Sonoma

1. The box says the app cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software. Click Cancel (or OK, whichever the box offers).

2. In your Applications folder, control-click (or right-click) Label Station and choose Open.

3. A similar box appears, this time with an Open button. Click Open. Label Station starts.

The System Settings route with Open Anyway also works on these versions.

The first start

1. A box called Before you start shows the privacy policy and the terms of service. Click Read the privacy policy or Read the terms if you want to see them first, then click Accept and continue.

2. A second box says this is a pre-release test build. Click I understand. You see it once per computer.

3. The Label Station window opens on its Live tab and says it is waiting for Chrome. That is normal.

Tip

Closing the window does not quit the app. The red button at the top left of the window only closes the window. Label Station keeps running from a small icon in the menu bar at the top right of the screen. Click it to open the window again or to choose Quit. You can also press Cmd + Q with the window in front. Labels keep printing while the window is closed.

If something looks different

• The box says “Label Station” is damaged and cannot be opened, and offers to move it to the Trash. Do not move it. Nothing is wrong with your Mac. See The Mac says Apple could not verify it.
• macOS says the app cannot be opened or needs Rosetta. You probably have the other Mac kit. Download the right one from Download.

Where to next

• Pick your printer
• Add the extension to Chrome
• The Mac says Apple could not verify it